The invention relates to a machine control device for a grinding machine or for comparable machines and a method to determine the travel path of a tool, particularly a grinding tool and/or a corresponding workpiece.
On grinding machines or similar machines, as for example erosion machines or the like, it is frequently necessary to adjust the workpiece and/or the tool relative to one another so that a collision cannot occur. For example, this is the case when the machining process performed with a grinding tool is completed and another grinding tool is to be brought into contact with the workpiece. The positioning of the workpiece and the grinding tool as well as the control of paths to be traveled is an object in the machine control program that a machine adjustment specialist or a machine operator has to achieve with more or less intelligent programming assistance. As a rule, it is not possible for the machine adjustment specialist to provide position paths that are optimal time wise. This applies especially when these paths cannot be linear to bypass obstacles and to avoid collisions thereby. If a machine control program has been created, then it has to be carefully tested over a long period for its freedom of collision to avoid the case where grinding tools or workpieces collide with one another or that they collide with other parts. If obviously safer paths are taken to avoid collisions whereby after the end of an operation the respective tool is moved to a so-called safe parked position, for example, and whereby the starting position of the subsequent operational step is approached from said parked position—or whereby another parked position is approached from said first parked position—then this results in lengthy travel paths and long positioning times. The positioning times add up to a considerable loss of time, which is to be avoided, particularly during grinding operations on complicated workpieces, as for example drills, cutters or the like.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a positioning method as well as a corresponding machine control device with which travel paths for tools and/or workpieces can be determined in a short time and in a simple manner requiring a short positioning time.